Process and apparatus for saturating fibrous webs



June 22 1926. 1,589,537

A. R. LUKENS ET AL I PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SATURATING FIBROUS wmas w Filed Sept. 14, 1925 1477- ORA [71S JAIME! IhU'liKEEGEl AND NEAL fi. PIKE, OE WYOMING, OHM), ASSIGNORS T0 TE RICH- AltDSQI l' @QTEEIPANY, 01E LOCKLAND, OHIO, A COREORATION 01? SE10.

Elttflfillfifi AND APPARATUS FOR SATURATING'EIBROUS WEBS.

application filed September (lur invention relates to processes of filling or saturating newly made fibrous webs, such as felt and paper, with waterproofing substances of high melting point, such as bitumen and particularly asphalt, thereby greatly shortening the web making process and securing a high degree of saturation.

it has been proposed to apply highly heated asphalt to the drying rolls over which webs of freshly made, felt or paper are passed, while the same is wet and thus to employ the asphalt itself to drivemoisture out of the web, during the process of passing the webs over the drying rolls of the felt or aper making machine. Our invention is irected to an improved mode of procedure for accomplishing the same object by different means, resulting in the avoidance of certain difficulties, while employing the same principle The necessity, in employing a liquid bitumen, such as asphalt, during the drying process as applied to newly made felt or paper board, or the like, is to apply it to a single side of the-paper. The way of doing this which has been suggested, is to pour the asphalt or other bitumen onto the surface of the drying rolls, and pass the freshly made webs over the rolls.

The result of doing this is that control of amounts to be applied is not easy, and that a body of liquid bitumen accumulates between the web and the drying roll, such that in case of web breakage, an accident which is likely to occur, this hot asphalt runs free. Furthermore the ipes by means of which the asphalt is con noted to the rolls cannot be stopped from running the instant of such an accident, so that the workmen have a decidedly difficult task to get the web started again, and must do their workvat considerable hazard of being burned.

Also the accumulation of asphalt between the drying roll and the web, where such modes of application are used, tends to develop a break in the web, which it will be recalled is freshly made, and quite soft with moisture. A

It is our object to provide a mode of application of liquid bitumen, in highly heated condition to a single side of an advancing web, during its passage over the drying rolls in such a way as to insure against escape of the bitumen in case of breakage, and in such a way as to control the breakage risk more M, 1925. serial No. 56,152.

in a felt or board machine in the paper mill,

the elimination of chances of being burned by hot bitumen, and of having drying rolls hands, is commercial saving of considerable magnitude.

We accomplish our object by that certain mode of web feeding and hot bitumen'application to be hereinafter specifically pointed out, and the novelty therein duly set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating somewhat out of scale, the mechanism employed by us in a particular application of our process,

Figure 2 is aplan view of one of the saturating devices.

Referring first to the drawing, we have shown in diagram a set of drying rolls such as are used in felt, paper and paper board mills, in which the upper rolls are illustrated at 1 and the lower rolls at 2.

Located above the upper rolls are troughs 3, in the ends of which are journaled the rolls 4, which may be driven or idler rolls. Preferably they are made quite small, so that the troughs can be narrow, thereby permitting their rolls. f

The web of material is illustrated at 5 and is moving from left to right in the drawing.

The web will be of freshly made fibrous stock, formed on the felt, paper or board .35, arrangement over the drying mill, and is moving continuously over the 5 several rolls. The number of rolls shown'is five, but this is but a few out of the series of drying rolls used, and as many of the rolls may be equipped with the bitumen applying troughs and rollers, as is needed to gain the desired saturation. One great advantage of our process is-that the number upper drying rolls, thence up from the tops I of the rolls and over the small rollers, thence down over the other sides of the drying rolls.

6G gummed with it, as well as the workmens Since the rollers dip into the troughs which are supplied with asphalt or other bitumen heated well above the practical range of steam drying rolls, the asphalt is applied to the one face of the web at a series of stations in accurate quantities.-- The hot bituapplying devices areabove the drying rolls,

leaving the pit below the rolls free of incumbrance with them, and workmen in the pit need not be in fearof being burned with ot bitumen.

We maintain preferably. a tem erature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, in t e troughs, and the very great excess of heat in the asphalt accelerates thecomplete drying out of the web sufficiently tov constitute a great saving in power and 'dryin steam. Also the web making and saturatlng are accomplished in a single operation, with little or no equipment and the nature of the saturation is much enhanced over the saturation obtained by dipping a dry web in a tank of hot bitumen.

The breakage of the web is not brought about by our mode of asphalt or bitumen application, as it is in the rocess of saturating moist webs by applyin the saturant directly on the. dryers themse ves.

Should it be desired to apply bitumen to the opposite sideof theweb from that in which the saturant is applied, this may be accomplished after the saturation is accomplished, by reversin the web, as at 6, and passing it over an additional roller 7 main tained in a trough 8. Also it will be noted that the bitumen applying rollers may be less in width than the webs, so as to avoid the application of bitumen to the rough edges thereof. This simplifies the trimming of the web, freeing the knives from the necessity of cutting through a heavily saturated body. v 1

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 1. A process of forming fibrous saturated webs, which consists in forming a wet web of fibers, and drying said web by passing the same while still wet over a series of rollers that dip into hotbitumen so as to apply the bitumen to one side of the web, and intermediate the said rollers passing t e sh et over. drying ro11s.

2. A process offorming, fibrous saturated Webs, W Qhams t natorming a web f.

fibers, and prior to drying the same so as to destroy its freshly made condition, passing the web over a series of rollers thatdip into hot bitumen, so as to apply bitumen to one side of the web, and intermediate said rollers passing the sheet over drying rolls.

3. A process of forming fibrous saturated webs, which consists in forming a web of fibers, and prior to drying the same so as to destroy its freshly made condition, passing the web over a series of rollers that dip into hot bitumen, so as to apply bitumen to one side of the web, and intermediate said rollers passing the sheet over drying rolls, which said rolls are maintained hot.

4. A process of forming fibrous saturated webs, which consists in forming a web of fibers, and prior to drying the same 'so as to destroy its freshly made condition, passing the web over a series of heated drying rolls, and also passing the web over a series of rollers that dip into bitumen heated above the temperature of the drying rolls.

5. A process of forming fibrous saturated webs which consists in passing a freshly made wet fibrous web over a series of drying rolls arranged in upper and lower rows, and causing the web to be lifted 0d of the upper rolls, intermediate its engagement with the sides of said rolls, and passing it over rollers dipping into a trough of highly heated bitumen, for the purpose described.

6. A process of forming fibrous saturated webs, which consists in forming a web of fibers, and prior to drying the same so as to destroy its freshly made condition, passing the web over a series of rollers that dip into hot bitumen, so as to apply bitumen to one side of the web, and intermediate said rollers passing the sheet over drying rolls, said rollers being of less 'width than the web, so as to leave the edges of the web without bitumen.

7. A process of forming fibrous webs which consists in forming a web of wet fibers, and prior to drying the same so as to destroy its freshly made character, passing said web over a series of rollers receiving a highly heated saturant by dipplng therein, said web having one side only thereof passed over said rollers, and intermediate said rollers passing the web over drying rolls, whereby" the saturant by its heat forces out the water of the web and takes the place of the water, without trapping the water between outer surfaces of the saturant, during the process. 1

8. A process of forming fibrous saturated webs, which. consists in forming a web of fibers, and prior to drying the same so as to destroy its freshly made condition, passing the web over a series of rollers that dip vinto hot bitumen, so as to apply bitumen to one side of the web, and intermediateasaid rollers passing the sheet over drylng rolls, and finally passing the web-with its reverse 1 stance is to be drawn,a lengthwise vessel or trough mounted in line with and above the said roll, and aroller mounted with said vessel so as to receive bitumen from said vessel by dipping action, and the roller and vessel being so related to the roll, as to permit the web to engage at one and the same time against the two sides of the roll, and over the said roller.

10. A saturating device comprising a drying roll, over which a web of fibrous substance is to be drawn, a lengthwise vessel or trough mounted in line with and above said roll, and a roller mounted with said vessel so as to receive bitumen from said vessel by dipping action, and the roller and vessel being so related to the roll, as to permit the web to engage at one and the same time against the two sides of the roll. and over the said roller, said roller being of less length than the trough in the portion thereof that contacts with the web.

ALAN R. LUKENS.

NEAL C. PIKE. 

